PROFILE: Born on December 4, 1886. Passed away February 11, 1956

HISTORY: Cal Ohlinger purchased his first registered greyhound in 1922, just after the birth of track racing. He raised some of the top racers of that time including Pedro Meadows, Dave Meadows, and Mary Meadows. In 1927 he and Merill Blair started a hand-shake partnership that lasted 28 years, until Cal’s death. The partnership was a most successful one, with Cal handling the dogs at the farm and Merrill managing the racing kennel. During the partnership Merrill says Cal was only at the races twice. Once in Florida and once at Mile High. We ran everything on the farm at the NCA and won many stakes. One of the greyhounds owned and raced by the Ohlinger-Blair Kennel was the magnificent Flashy Sir, one of the first three enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Cal was a good business in his hometown of Jewell, Kansas and operated a 1,000 acre farm, a wholesale meat packing company and meat market, a restaurant and an auto agency.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Cal Ohlinger served as a vice-president of the National Coursing Association in 1942. “Everyone in his community was his friend” says Merrill Blair. “He was loved by all, young and old. His word was all you ever needed if you made an agreement with him.”